Ash, Musbury

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"Ash, antient seat of the Drakes", watercolour dated 13 February 1795 by Rev. John Swete (1752-1821) of Oxton House, Devon. Devon Record Office 564M/F7/129. It was then in use as a farmhouse. This is the house re-built by Sir John Drake, 2nd Baronet (1647-1684) after its near destruction during the Civil War. The building at left is a chapel AshMusbury Devon ByJohnSwete.PNG
"Ash, antient seat of the Drakes", watercolour dated 13 February 1795 by Rev. John Swete (1752–1821) of Oxton House, Devon. Devon Record Office 564M/F7/129. It was then in use as a farmhouse. This is the house re-built by Sir John Drake, 2nd Baronet (1647–1684) after its near destruction during the Civil War. The building at left is a chapel

Ash in the parish of Musbury in the county of Devon is an historic estate, long the residence of the ancient Drake family, the heir of which remarkably was always called John, only one excepted, for ten generations. [2] It was formerly believed to have been the birthplace of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650–1722), [3] whose mother was Elizabeth Drake, but was in fact probably in ruins at the time of his birth. The future Duke was however baptised in 1650 in the Chapel at Ash, which had been licensed by the Bishop of Exeter in 1387. [4] Ash was "burnt and demolished" during the Civil War and "lay long in ruins" during which time the family moved one mile away to Trill, Axminster. [5] John Drake (1625–1669), the wartime occupant who had suffered so greatly for the Royalist cause received some recompense at the end of the troubles by being created a baronet by King Charles II on the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660. [6] Ash was rebuilt "to a greater perfection than it was of before" by Sir John Drake, 2nd Baronet (1647–1684). [7] The last in the male line was Sir William Drake, 6th Baronet (ca. 1695–1733), who died without children and bequeathed all his estates to his widow Anne Williams (died 1793), who remarried to George Speke, MP, and had by him a daughter Anne Speke (before 1741–1797), who brought the Drake estates, including Ash and the advowson of Musbury, to her husband Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (1732–1792), who sold them piece-meal to various persons. [8] Ash House survives today as a grade II* listed private residence in much the same form as depicted by Swete in 1795. [9]

Contents

The Drake family of Ash rejected a claim by Admiral Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540 – 1596) of Buckland Abbey, whom they considered to be below the rank of gentry, that he was descended from their ancient Drake family of Ash, and a famous physical confrontation broke out in the court of Queen Elizabeth I between Admiral Sir Bernard Drake (c. 1537 – 1586) of Ash and Admiral Sir Francis Drake of Buckland Abbey when the latter made claim to the armorials of Drake of Ash. [10]

Descent

The estate of Ash was a member of the manor of Musbury, itself a member of the feudal barony of Okehampton, the lords of which from about 1190 were the Courtenay family, later Earls of Devon. [11] The descent of the estate of Ash was as follows:

de Ash

Orwey

Strech

Hampton

Billet

Francheney

Drake

DrakeArms&Crest 1611 MusburyChurch Devon.PNG
DrakeArms StainedGlass MusburyChurch Devon.PNG
Canting arms of Drake (from Latinized form Draco, "a dragon" [31] ) of Ash: Argent, a wyvern wings displayed and tail nowed gules. [32] [33] Left: Detail from top of 1611 monument in Musbury Church; right 19th century stained glass, Musbury Church, showing crest: A dexter cubit arm couped at the elbow proper holding a battle-axe sable [34] The Drake motto is: Aquila non captat muscas ("The eagle does not catch flies"). The Drake wyvern gules was adopted by John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough for both his heraldic supporters, in recognition of his maternal descent from the Drakes of Ash
Monument to the Drake family of Ash, south aisle of Musbury Church. It depicts the following persons: left: John Drake (died 1558), with his wife Amy Grenville (died 1577); centre: Admiral Sir Bernard Drake (c. 1537 - 1586), his son, with his wife Gertrude Fortescue (died 1601); right: John Drake (died 1628), who erected the monument in 1611, son of Sir Bernard, with his wife Dorothy Button (died 1631). Also shown four times are the arms of Drake: Argent, a wyvern wings displayed and tail nowed gules. Gilded inscribed biographical tablets appear under each couple of kneeling figures DrakeMonument MusburyChurch Devon.PNG
Monument to the Drake family of Ash, south aisle of Musbury Church. It depicts the following persons: left: John Drake (died 1558), with his wife Amy Grenville (died 1577); centre: Admiral Sir Bernard Drake (c. 1537 – 1586), his son, with his wife Gertrude Fortescue (died 1601); right: John Drake (died 1628), who erected the monument in 1611, son of Sir Bernard, with his wife Dorothy Button (died 1631). Also shown four times are the arms of Drake: Argent, a wyvern wings displayed and tail nowed gules. Gilded inscribed biographical tablets appear under each couple of kneeling figures
DrakeBrassFilleighDrawing.jpg
RichardFortescueFilleighBrassFacingRight.JPG
Right: Monumental brass in Filleigh Church, North Devon, depicting Sir Bernard Drake (died 1586), who erected the monument to which it was originally affixed in memory of his brother-in-law, Richard Fortescue (died 1570). The arms of Drake of Ash are shown in the dexter escutcheon, in a mutilated condition: Argent, a wyvern wings displayed and tail nowed gules. The sinister escutcheon shows the quarterings of the arms of Drake's wife, Gertrude Fortescue. Left drawing of reconstructed brass

The earliest record of the Drake family of Devon is in an undated "very old deed" in Latin quoted by Westcote to have been witnessed by "Walterus Draco" and "Wymondus de Dennex" and others. [35] Thus Draco (from Greek δράκων (drakon)) [36] was the Latinized form of the name "Drake", meaning in Latin "dragon", referred to in the family's canting arms of a wyvern displayed gules.

Heer lieth the body of John Drake of Aish Esq.r and Amie his wife whoe was the daughter of Sr Roger Graynfeild Kt. by whom hee had issue six sones where of lived three at his death viz Barnard, Robart and Richard. He died the 4th of October 1558 and she died the 18th of Februarie 1577
His third son as mentioned above was Richard Drake (1535–1603) of Esher, MP, an Equerry of the Stable and Groom of the Privy Chamber to Queen Elizabeth I.
Heer is the monument of Sr Barnard Drake Kt. who had to wife Dame Garthrud the daughter of Bartholomew Fortescue of Filly Esqr. by whom hee had three sonnes and thre daughters where of whear five living at his death viz John, Hugh, Marie, Margaret and Helen. He died the Xth of April 1586 and Dame Garthrud his wief was here bured the XIIth of Februarie 1601 unto the memorie of whome John Drake Esqr. his sonne hath set this monument Anno 1611
John Drake Esq buried here ye II of Aprill 1628. Dorothye Drake his wife buried here ye 13 of Dece.r. 1631. Sr John Drake Knighte buried here ye 26 of Aug 1636. Dame Mary Rosewell wife of Sr Henry Rosewell Knighte was buried here the 4o [50] of November 1643 (Mary Rosewell was the sister of John Drake (died 1636))

Speke and North

Anne Speke (before 1741-1797), heiress of Ash, whose husband Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (1732-1792) disposed of the Drake estates piece-meal. Portrait after Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) Anne, wife of Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guildford, after Joshua Reynolds.jpg
Anne Speke (before 1741–1797), heiress of Ash, whose husband Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (1732–1792) disposed of the Drake estates piece-meal. Portrait after Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792)

The last in the male line was Sir William Drake, 6th Baronet (ca. 1695–1733), who died without children and bequeathed all his estates to his widow Anne Williams (died 1793), who remarried to George Speke, MP, of Whitelackington in Somerset, and had by him a daughter Anne Speke (before 1741–1797), who brought the Drake estates, including Ash and the advowson of Musbury, to her husband Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (1732–1792), who sold them piece-meal to various persons. [64]

Ash in 1795

Rev John Swete (died 1821) of Oxton House, Kenton in Devon, the Devon topographer and arbiter of landscape gardening, visited Ash on 13 February 1795, as part of one of his tours around the county. His watercolour painting of the house and corresponding journal entry survives, in the Devon Record Office. He was familiar with Prince's text and noted that the door and windows of the chapel were then blocked up and in contrast to Prince's description wrote:

"We find all its beauty passed away - the park destroy'd, the ponds filled up - except in one long parallelogram at the entrance, and the garden more abundant in weed than flowers or choice fruit."

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References

  1. Swete, pp. 121–2
  2. Prince, p.328
  3. Courtney, William Prideaux (1911). "Marlborough, John Churchill, 1st Duke of"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 17 (11th ed.). pp. 737–740.
  4. Listed building text, Chapel at Ashe House
  5. Prince, p.330
  6. Vivian, p.297
  7. Prince, p.330
  8. Prince, p.331, footnote 2 (1810)
  9. Listed building text, Ashe House, Musbury; Listed building text, Chapel at Ashe House
  10. Prince, John, (1643–1723) The Worthies of Devon, 1810 edition, London, p.329
  11. Pole, p.122
  12. Pole, p.122
  13. See for example the history of the manors of Roseash and Ashreigney
  14. Pole, p.122
  15. Pole, p.122
  16. Pole, p.495
  17. File:Richard Drake George Gower 1577.jpg
  18. Pole, p.122
  19. Pole, p.122
  20. Pole, p.122
  21. Pole, p.503
  22. Pole, p.122
  23. Pole, p.123
  24. Pole, p.486
  25. File:Richard Drake George Gower 1577.jpg
  26. As seen quartered (2nd quarter of 7) in the 1577 portrait of Richard Drake in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Pole however gives these arms as Billet of Bozuns Hele and gives Billet of Ash as Argent, a chevron purple between three battle-axes erect sable (Pole, p.470)
  27. Pole, p.123
  28. Pole, p.123
  29. Pole, p.484
  30. Pole, p.123
  31. see below
  32. Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.292, pedigree of Drake of Ash
  33. Vivian, p.299, pedigree of Drake of Crowndale and Buckland Abbey, states erroneously "The Drake family of Crowndale and Buckland Abbey used the same arms but the tail of the wyvern is not nowed" (knotted)
  34. Vivian, p.292
  35. Quoted in Prince, p.328
  36. Cassel's Latin Dictionary: "Draco -onis, a kind of snake, dragon"
  37. Drake of Exmouth per Pole, p.123; of Axmouth per Vivian, p.292
  38. Risdon, p.24
  39. Pole, p.123
  40. "Formedon, a writ of right for claiming entailed property" as stated in Byrne, Muriel St. Clare, (ed.) The Lisle Letters, 6 vols, University of Chicago Press, Chicago & London, 1981, vol.5, p.408, note 6
  41. Vivian, 1895, p.293 "Daughter of Roger Greenfield of Stow". Byrne states however that Roger had a daughter named Amy (Byrne, Muriel St. Clare, (ed.) The Lisle Letters, 6 vols, University of Chicago Press, Chicago & London, 1981, vol.3, p.303)
  42. Or possibly she was a daughter of Roger I's grandson Roger Grenville (died 1545), Captain of the Mary Rose when it sank in Portsmouth Harbour in 1545, by his wife Thomasine Cole, daughter of Thomas Cole of Slade. She would thus have been a sister of Sir Richard Grenville (1542–1591), captain of the Revenge .(Vivian, Heralds' Visitations of Cornwall, pedigree of Grenville)
  43. Vivian, p.297
  44. Prince, p.330
  45. Prince, p.329
  46. Prince, p.329
  47. Prince, p.329
  48. Prince, pp. 329–30
  49. Vivian, p.297
  50. Abbreviation of Latin Quarto (fourth)
  51. Vivian, p.297
  52. Vivian, p.297
  53. Vivian, p.297
  54. Vivian, p.297
  55. Prince, p.330
  56. Vivian, p.297
  57. Prince, p.330
  58. Prince, p.331
  59. Vivian, p.297
  60. Vivian, p.297
  61. Prince, p.331
  62. Vivian, p.297
  63. Vivian, p.297
  64. Prince, p.331, footnote 2 (1810)

Sources